Piston-ring



A. 0. SCHMOLINSKL,

PISTON RING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. 1920.

Patentd Dec. 28,1920.

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Piston-mire.

Specification of-Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920 Application filed July 9, 1920. Serial No. 395,040.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that T, ADoLPH O. SoHMo- LINSKI, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Piston-Rings, of which the followin is a specification.

his invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in piston rings, the pe culiarities will be hereinafter described and claimed.

The main object of my inventionis to provide an eilicient, laterally and radially expanding, interlocking piston ring of two members.

In the accompanying drawing on which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 repesents a perspective View of a piston ring embodying my invention; Fig. 2 a cross sectional view on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a similar view on the line 33 Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a similar view on the line 44 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5a similar view to Fig. 2 showing the laterallyexpanding action of the members.

The letter A designates the inside face of the upper member of the ring, the top face at the side being designated by B and forming part of a radial outward flange shoulder C, the outer face of which bears against the inner wall of a cylinder when the ring is assembled on the piston operatin therein. From the flange shoulder C a neck extends downward and inward with diminishing radial thickness substantially to the central lane X indicated by dot and dash lines on *ig. 2. The neck connects with a head located below the central plane X and formed by an outwardly projecting chin E preferably inclined downward. The outer face of the head of the member is formed by a slanting face F practically parallel with the neck slant, and then havin a radially extending circumferential face 5 meeting the vertical inner face A of said member.

The opposing interlocking and intermatching member consists of a face H circumferential and vertical, forming the outer bearing face of the second member, and a lower lateral face I forming part of an inward radial flange J, the inner edge of which is practically in line with the inside face A of the first named member; The upper face of the flange J is opposite the face G of the upper member, and a neck K of the lower member is formed by an upwardly extending face running from the flange J to the central plane X and forming a neck gradually diminishing in radial thickness.

rom the plane X, the lower member has a face L extending inward and upward to a slant face M, extending upward and outward to an upper face N that is opposite the flange C of the upper member. The necks of said members are each relatively longer than the heads, whereby a circumferential space U is formed between the two heads, constituting a circumferential, rectangular chamber, the upper and lower walls of which are formed by the faces L and E constituting the chins of the respective heads, and by the adjacent portions of the neck wall as. shown in Fig. 2. They form a piston ring of rectangular cross section divided in the peculiar manner shown herein. It will be noted that section 2-2, by means of the projecting chin surfaces E and L which overlap and interlock, form a piston ring that will readily maintain its interlocked position when not mounted in the groove of a piston, but can be readily separated by springing the chin faces E and L against each other, as each ring is divided and jointed, preferably by a step joint consisting of circumferential meeting faces P-P Fig. -1, that, extends radially inward and transverse to the general plane of the ring, and a little distance from the flange shoulder in each member so that the opposing head of the other member will close any space between said meeting faces of the joint at P--P' Figs. 4 and 3. I

It is preferred to form these members eccentric as far as the inner faces are concerned, and I have shown in Fig. 3 a cross section at 3-=3 of Fig. 1, showing the inner ring at its maximum thickness radially, and the outer member at its minimum thickness radially but with the meeting inner faces of the head and neck in substantially the same relation as in Fig. 2.

The innermember is at its maximum thickness opposite its joint, and the outer member is at its minimum thickness where the inner member is at-its maximum so that the rectangular outline of the ring is maintained. I

Thus in Fig. 4 the section taken at t& of Fig. 1 shows the inner member at its minimum thickness through its joint and the outer member at its maximum thickness.

The outward pressure of the inner member causes the two members to tend to separate laterally on account of the above described inclination of the head and neck faces.

This keeps the faces B and I of the two members at all times in close contact with the sides of the piston groove and compensates indefinitely for the lateral wear of these surfaces, which is an important function of this construction.

Fig. 5 indicates a position of the two members of the piston ring after considerable wear on faces B, l, H and C and the consequent lateral adjustment, the dotted line representing the relative amount worn off the flange shoulder C in said Fig. 5.

The pressure of the exploding gases upon the flange shoulder C tends to force downward the inner ring ,member and thus to force outward against the cylinder wall, the inner member and promote a tight piston ring packing.

The eccentric arrangement of the inner faces tends to maintain the joints of the respective members oppositely disposed as in Fig. 1, but ll do not confine myself to the eccentric form as the location of the meeting faces P--P of the joint in the respective members maintains a closure in practically any position of the members with regard to each other.

I claim:

1. A piston ring comprising two oppositely disposed members, each having a in dial flange shoulder at the side and ahead opposite and connected to the shoulder by a neck relatively longer than the head, whereby a circumferential passage is formed in the center of the ring when the members are in operative position.

2. A piston ring comprising two intermatching oppositely disposed members, each having a radial flange shoulder at the .side and a head opposite and connected to the shoulder by a neck decreasing in rameagre dial thickness from the shoulder to the head where it forms an inclined chin,said chin of one member interlocking with the chin of the matching member when assembled, and slidably diseng'ageable substantially as described.

3. A piston ring comprising two interlocking members,-one member having a radial outward flange shoulder at the top side, a neck decreasing in thickness downward and inward, an outward projecting chin, and a head relatively less in depth than the neck and decreasing in width to the lower end,the other member having a radial inward flange shoulder at the bottom side, a neck decreasing in thickness upward and outward, a head relatively less in depth than-the neck and decreasing in thickness to the top where it fits under the flange shoulder of the first member,the rela-v tively shorter head of each member fitting in the relatively longer neck of the other member and intermatching to provide a circumferential central chamber between the heads of said members.

4. A piston ring comprising two interlocking members, one member having a radial outward flange shoulder at the top side, a neck decreasing in thickness downward and inward, an outward projecting chin, and a head relatively less in depth than the neck and decreasing in width to the lower end,-the other member having a similar shape and reversed upon the first named member so that the heads of said members come opposite the respective necks of said members, and a step joint in each member formed by a. radial circumferential plane located between the shoulder and the head and connected by a transverse plane to the upper and lower surface of each member, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ADOLPH o. SCHMOLINSKI. 

